Legal Aid Billing Manager

Job Title: Legal Aid Billing & Compliance Manager
Location: Manchester / Hybrid
Salary: Competitive, dependent on experience

The Opportunity
We are working with an established multi-office legal practice with a significant Legal Aid practice across civil and criminal work to recruit an experienced Legal Aid Billing & Compliance Manager. This is a specialist role for someone who understands the Legal Aid environment from within a law firm and can combine detailed technical knowledge with strong billing management, compliance and process improvement skills.
This is not a general finance, credit control or billing role. Candidates must have substantial experience working within a legal practice and strong technical knowledge of Legal Aid billing and the Legal Aid Agency (LAA).
You will work closely with the wider billing function and senior finance stakeholders, with a key focus on improving billing turnaround, cash collection, payments on account and Legal Aid compliance.

Key Responsibilities:
Legal Aid Billing & Cash Collection

• Oversee civil final bills, from case conclusion through CCMS submission and payment.
• Manage Payments on Account (POAs), ensuring claims are accurate, timely and fully tracked.
• Oversee disbursements, controlled work submissions and Legal Help escape claims.
• Review LAA assessments and reductions, supporting appeals where appropriate.
• Manage external costs drafting providers and support bringing suitable work in-house.
• Identify and reduce billing delays, aged WIP and lock-up.

Legal Aid Compliance

• Act as the technical point of contact for Legal Aid billing and compliance.
• Prepare for and support LAA contract audits across civil and criminal work.
• Manage contract branches, statutory charges, recoupments, file transfers and out-of-time bills.
• Support VHCCs and case plans, ensuring billing and compliance requirements are met.
• Maintain accurate Legal Aid supervision and compliance records.

Civil & Criminal Legal Aid

• Provide technical billing support across civil and criminal Legal Aid work.
• Apply knowledge of hourly rates, fixed fees, FAS, escape cases and graduated fee schemes.
• Advise solicitors and fee earners on Legal Aid billing requirements and submission processes.

Reporting & Controls

• Produce MI covering fees, cash, WIP, live matters and billing performance.
• Monitor LAA remittances, expected income and aged balances.
• Review matter balances, including client balances and office credits.
• Reconcile billing data and maintain accurate billing trackers and reporting.

Team & Process Improvement

• Work with the Billing Manager to allocate workloads and improve billing turnaround.
• Train and support costs draftsmen, legal cashiers and administrators on Legal Aid requirements.
• Develop clear procedures covering billing, POAs, new matters and file closure.
• Lead initiatives to clear historic billing backlogs and improve cash collection.

About You:

• Proven experience in a Legal Aid billing management or senior legal billing role within a law firm.
• A legal/law firm background is essential.
• Detailed working knowledge of CCMS and CWA.
• Strong knowledge of Payments on Account, final bills, assessments and LAA billing processes.
• Understanding of civil Legal Aid remuneration, including hourly rates, fixed fees, FAS and escape cases.
• Working knowledge of the SRA Accounts Rules, particularly client money, disbursements and office credits.
• Experience with LAA contract audits and compliance.
• Knowledge of contract branches, statutory charges, recoupments, file transfers and out-of-time bills.
• Strong Excel and reporting skills, including data reconciliation and management information.
• Ability to explain complex Legal Aid billing requirements clearly to solicitors, fee earners and support teams.
• A demonstrable track record of improving billing turnaround, cash collection, lock-up, POA backlogs or LAA compliance.

Desirable:

• Experience of care proceedings and family Legal Aid billing.
• Experience with VHCCs and case plans.
• Knowledge of criminal Legal Aid billing, including crime lower and graduated fee schemes.
• Experience using a legal case management or legal accounts system.
• Experience managing external costs drafting providers or bringing drafting in-house.
• Relevant costs drafting or legal cashiering qualification, such as ACL or ILFM.
• Previous experience supervising, mentoring or training a small team.

Please send your CV to Rosie Hutcheon, or call via the 'Apply Now' option to be considered for the role.